Texel wants stricter rules for tourism on the island. The mayor and aldermen believe that the maximum number of visitors has been reached. An estimated one million people go to Texel each year, accounting for four million overnight stays. That is good for the middle class, but many Texel residents also suffer from the crowds, according to a tour of NH Nieuws.
The municipality has now made a plan to “maintain a balanced balance between tourism and quality of life”. Residents can have their say about this until mid-March.
This plan states, among other things, that the control on the number of overnight stays will be stricter. Bed and breakfast owners, for example, will be required to register and there will be stricter rules for ‘camping at the farm’.
Opinions are divided. Ask an average Texel resident and they will indicate that it is too busy. But someone from the tourism sector will say that it could be a bit busier. One thing is certain: tourism is an important sector for the island. No less than 80 percent of the islanders depend on it.
At the tourist office they also see that the type of tourist who comes to the island has changed. Before the corona pandemic, it was mainly nature lovers who went camping, cycling and hiking. In the corona years, the people who previously walked on the boulevards of the Costa del Sol came, but who now discovered the Wadden Island.
That did not always fit in well with what Texel has to offer, VVV director Frank Spooren also realized: “If you are used to being served at your beck and call in an all-inclusive resort, a trip to Texel is just different,” says he against NH News.
Parking problems
Now that travel is allowed again, especially the ‘old’ tourists are coming back. But visitors are increasingly taking the car with them. Texel is not always sufficiently prepared for this. Many Texel residents say they are bothered by the parking problems and the traffic flow to and from the island.
The local housing market is also under pressure, because more and more tourists are interested in a house on the island. That in turn has an impact on nature, Staatsbosbeheer notes.
The proposal that is now on the table should lead to clear rules to manage the flow of tourists. Residents have two weeks to respond to the plans.
- Texel restricts tourism: ‘Balance between islanders and visitors’
